Dota 2 Plus - The Revamped Battle Pass

New Battle Pass system, this time called Dota 2 Plus, is finally out! It's been promised for a while, and all the players have been waiting for it impatiently. Let's see what changed!

Subscription

One of the most significant changes is the nature of the service. Battle Passes used to be a one-time purchase, typically dedicated to a specific Major. This time around, the players have been offered a monthly subscription, with the discounts if bought in bundles of 6 or 12 months. The regular monthly price is $3.99 (might be different in various regions).

Hero Levels and Challenges

The newest addition to the Dota 2 introduced the Hero Levels. Essentially, it is a hero rank - you earn it by playing games. When your rank increases, you get the Reward Shards you can spend on various rewards, as we

The Hero Ranks, by Valve

Each hero has also gotten a set of challenges tailored specifically for them. The tougher the challenge, the bigger the reward. In a sense, they are similar to the last quests of the previous Battle Passes - created for a specific hero. This would create an incentive for players to practice a specific hero and hone their mastery. This would contribute to the hero level progression.

The new Hero Challenges, by Valve

Hero Relics and Chat Wheel sounds

Hero Relics are a new method of tracking stats, similar to the Inscribed Gems. Unlockable for either 800 or 10000 Shards (random or specific), they are tailored to each hero, and reflect relevant statistics - for example, Rod of Atos Mystic Flare Damage for Skywrath Mage, or Bramble Maze Root Duration for Dark Willow. This is going to be yet another way to show just how well you can play the hero!

The Chat Wheel in the Compendium proved to be a success, as most players really loved it, and were rather disappointed to see it go. This time around, Valve decided to implement the Chat Wheel using hero voice lines, instead of generic sound clips like Frog or Crybaby, or the lines of famous moments (Patience from Zhou!). Only time will tell whether this is going to be a hit just like its ancestor. The new sounds are unlocked with hero levels.

Weekly and Plus Rewards

Another attractive aspect of the Plus is the exclusive sets. For the price of 75000 Shards, you can get one of the sets shown below; currently, there are 6 of those. They are not available to those who do not have the Plus membership. Aside from those, some of the older sets have returned, and they are a lot cheaper, with the prices ranging around 3000; there are 36 of those offered. The said Hero Relics are also available here,

New exclusive sets of heroes.

Weekly Battle Cup

Battle Cups also made a return with this update. It comes free for Plus members, while non-Plus members can also join the fun, as the ticket costs $0.99, just like before. A handsome prize awaits those who come first - each player will receive 20000 Reward Shards. Like before, the tournaments will be divided into tiers, with 8 teams fighting in a single elimination bracket. The first one will happen on March 18th.

Plus Assistant

Last but not the least, the Plus subscribers will receive a unique tool at their disposal - Plus Assistant. Backed up by the most recent statistics gathered across all the games at each skill bracket, Plus Assistant can guide you through the game. In a sense, it is comparable to a coach, only even a better version of that, as the real-life coaches can hardly provide precise statistics for a particular situation.

Hero to fit your team's draft nicely, skill to level up in a particular match-up, an item to build - the Assistant's got you covered. Based on the data, it is going to offer you all those, and much more. It is going to be a truly invaluable tool to all the players who want to improve their games but are not quite sure where to start. It has many more functions - the list is going to be too extensive to cover it in this summary.

Overall, the update brings some good old and fun parts back into Dota 2, while also making the entrance slightly easier for newer players. Of course, one would have to wait and see whether this is going to influence the game positively, but for now, it seems like the player base is divided.